Northern Watersnake

Last year I went to Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in mid-April and saw a bunch of Northern Watersnakes (some apparently mating). This year I didn't get up there until almost a month later and only saw 3 individuals. That's still more than I'm likely to see in most places, but I suspect this was past their peak time when they're driven both to seek sunlight and to breed, both of which probably bring them out into the open.

Although I doubt they're as common as our garter snakes, I think I've seen more of our watersnakes. These 2 types of snakes are in the same subfamily so perhaps it's unsurprising that they're both considered semiaquatic and both give birth to live snakelets. I suspect that if a Northern Watersnake invited a Common Garter Snake over for lunch, the garter snake would be happy with the menu (mostly amphibians).

Though most of the individuals I've seen were at Great Swamp, I've seen them at a Sourland Mountain Preserve pond and along the Delaware Raritan Canal. I suspect they can be found in most places with calm water, though finding them could be a challenge. (Their mostly-brown coloring blends in pretty well with sticks/branches.)

May 10, 2022 at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Photo 197982080, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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